Typically, gas turbine engines include a compressor for compressing air, a combustor for mixing the compressed air with fuel and igniting the mixture, and a turbine blade assembly for producing power. Combustors often operate at high temperatures that may exceed 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Typical turbine combustor configurations expose turbine blade assemblies to these high temperatures. As a result, turbine blades and turbine vanes must be made of materials capable of withstanding such high temperatures. Turbine blades, vanes and other components often contain cooling systems for prolonging the life of these items and reducing the likelihood of failure as a result of excessive temperatures.
Typically, turbine vanes extend radially inward from a vane carrier and terminate within close proximity of a rotor assembly. Turbine blades are typically attached to a rotor assembly and extend radially outward. Turbine blades are often supplied with cooling fluids from cooling channels in the rotor assembly. Often times, the cooling channels include leakage points at which leak cooling fluids from the cooling fluid channels, which negatively effects the efficiency of the turbine engine. Thus, there exists a need for a more efficient cooling fluid feed system for the rotor assembly of a gas turbine engine.